Tens of thousands reaching for the sky
Running from the beast, I must try
Ravens caw grimly as they hover
Pebbles and stones crunch underfoot
Skittering and ricocheting across the trail

The hedges never-ending,
The vines deluding

Ankles painted with lacerations
Socks tattered
Mary janes torn

I grapple at the shale
Gravel under my nails,
My attempt was to no avail

Creeping clusters slithered up my calf
Still, I couldn't find my grasp
Every offshoot, every crag
I grew more forlorn with every snag

Snapping and whipping
Leaves and twigs went by
My skirt, my shirt
Disconcerted

The overgrowth strapped my wrists
But my body was bound
To be smothered and numb
The lashing took my face,
Shoulders, and thighs
My back threadbare

Grimy nailbeds and grungy tresses
Benumbed by my subdued
Raising a finger to my cheek
I felt the slash, my last

Groveling was done
My future had begun
The last lash of my past

Nothing more than a binding
I gnawed and corroded
Until my last lashing was passed

The hedges call my name
Vines and clusters lonesome
I hear the raven caw for me on quiet nights
It still tempts me, just the same
Then I touch my cheek,
The notion has come and gone